Women’s rights in pre-Islamic Arabia May 2, 2008
Posted by jewaira in Books, Life, Links, News, Women.10 comments
Did women in pre-Islamic Arabia enjoy considerably more rights than they do in Saudi Arabia today?
Hatoon Al-Fassi, an outspoken Saudi scholar believes so. In her book Women In Pre-Islamic Arabia, she discusses the legal status and rights of women in the Nabataean state, an Arabian kingdom that spanned Jordan, south Syria, and northwest Saudi Arabia during the Roman Empire.
From her studies of coins and ancient tomb inscriptions, Fassi has suggested that Nabataean women were stronger and more independent then and that laws that stipulate guardianship were actually based on Greco-Roman laws which curtailed women’s full rights.
She says:
“I found that with Nabataean women the legal status and self representation was stronger and more evident than with Greek women who needed always a ‘tutor’, or representative, in order to conclude any contract,” Fassi said in an interview.
“An adaptation of Greek and Roman laws was inserted in Islamic law,” she said, referring to guardianship. “I would insist that it’s an ancient adaptation, that (Muslim) scholars are not aware of, and they would really be shocked.” Source: Middle East Online : Saudi Scholar finds ancient women’s rights
Fassi’s suggestion that some sharia elements may have been a human rather than a divine one is controversial to say the least to traditional thought. The study sounds fascinating and the article has more information on the subject.
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On a side note, American Bedu has blogged about Mada’in Saleh and the tombs of the Nabataeans in a series of interesting blog posts describing her recent travels. It is well worth a read.
